The Verdict

 

I read DriveThruRPG's email yesterday and the upshot is that The Good Syma'arian one-shot Cha'alt adventure won't be allowed back onto their virtual shelves without several changes. 

Specifically, the child endangerment portions.  While I fully understand, after all, it's written in their rules, taking that stuff out dilutes the message.  Yes, it's wrong to harm, let alone murder, babies and kids.  That's one of the reasons I wrote the scenario!

I have no doubt that publicly available material on DTRPG of the same kind (without the overt "anti-abortion" and "anti-woke" sentiments exist.  If The Good Syma'arian is banned, shouldn't those other products be reported and removed, as well?  Time will tell... 

Real world harm will always be greater and therefore a bigger threat than anything happening in a fantasy roleplaying game.  Fancy euphemisms like "reproductive justice" and "women's healthcare" don't really describe smashing a fetus' skull while still in the womb so the brain can be vacuumed into a hospital sink.

Just because you'd rather not think of the sordid deals doesn't mean it's not real.  It is real.  It happens everyday, and disproportionally to black and hispanic babies.  If you really think that black lives matter, instead of perpetuating lies that racist cops are gunning unarmed non-white folks down in the street everyday, maybe think twice before celebrating the "pro-choice" movement?

The moral and spiritual decay in this country, perhaps all over the world, can be seen daily on the news and in our social media feeds.  It's sickening and disheartening.  I don't think the answer is to throw up our hands while we lurch towards a materialist, atheist, globalist Utopia that will only result in (economic) slavery for the bottom 99%.

So, I told OneBookShelf that I will be keeping The Good Syma'arian private.  If you want it, the PDF is free (just like before).  Email me with your DriveThruRPG associated email address, which I prefer, (make sure you opt-in to my customer emails where I frequently send out sale codes).  Reach me at Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com

Or, here's a link to the adventure on Google Drive if you'd really rather not go through DTRPG.  Your choice!

Enjoy,

VS

p.s. Tickets still available for this July's VENGER CON in Madison, WI.  This won't be like any other gaming convention you've been to in the last 20 or 30 years.  Just old-school, OSR, and traditional RPGs.  Together, we won't just have an awesome time... we'll lay the foundation for a new golden age! 

While We Wait [Leftoids Mad]

 

I really thought we'd hear back from DriveThruRPG by now, regarding the status of The Good Syma'arian.  

Oh well, let's talk about other stuff (but first, read this based as fuck review) while we wait...

Looks like there's another OSR Jam happening on Itch.io.  The radical-left continues to sully our good name and exclude the best and brightest from their cringeworthy ranks.  I hope those slanderous crybullies get what they deserve.  They weren't too far off the mark with that "satanist christian" comment, but the rest is bullshit.

Speaking of Christianity, like many of you, I'm devastated by the TX school shooting that just happened (as we're still reeling from the horrific Buffalo, NY shooting).  Maybe it was a mistake taking Christianity out of the classroom and replacing it with progressivism, Marxism, moral relativism, along with bizarre gender ideology and sexual education in elementary and middle schools?  

The left says they don't want to ban books in schools, but the first book they banned was The Bible, a testament to western civilization.  Perhaps if we brought Christian values back into schools, we'd have less tragedies...

As for ditching the 2nd Amendment, I know the left would love a cultural revolution where Americans gave up all their guns and trusted the government, but look around.  The government is less trustworthy now than at any other time in recent memory.  

Greg Gillespie released a Kickstarter update on May 18th, where he says "devoid of woke nonsense".  A lot of leftoids got mad, either telling him off in the comments or canceling their pledge.  

Good for Greg!  He stood up to the woke, and so should we all.  When he releases this current project, I'll buy it just to spite them.

If you know of any other anti-woke, anti-leftist (who wants to organize that OSR Jam?) RPG news, please share it with me.  Now is the time to fight even harder, not back down!

VS

p.s. Holy crap!  We're less than 2 months away from this July's VENGER CON.  Grab your ticket and enjoy the best old-school, OSR, and traditional gaming experience in decades.

The Good Syma'arian Suspended

 

Venger's banned again?!?

As many of you already know, my recently released one-shot Cha'alt adventure, The Good Syma'arian, was just temporarily suspended last night for "potentially offensive content".  

I'm a target for the radical-left, the woke, and SJWs throughout the RPG hobby because of my outspoken, moderately conservative political leanings.  To me, and many others, they are the offensive ones.  They spit on our liberty while cry-bullying their way to positions of influence, always trying to secure more of what they crave most... power and control.

I don't want any retaliation or jumping up and down on DriveThruRPG while they review my scenario.  After all, they have their own protocols they need to follow.  

I am confident that The Good Syma'arian will be reinstated by next weekend.  Sure, we have to take a seat while the pro-abortion bundle of PDFs gets to sail by.  But that's the culture we live in, and it may take years before justice (not social justice, but actual justice) returns.

A lot of people have asked me to verify what DriveThruRPG said, so I took a picture.  You can read it for yourselves.  It's all there in black and white.  

When there's news, I'll post about it here on the blog and over on my YouTube channel - please subscribe!

Thanks,

VS

p.s. In the meantime, why not buy some gorgeous hardcover Cha'alt books, and/or snag a ticket for this July's VENGER CON in Madison, WI. 

Anti-Abortion FREE Cha'alt Adventure

 

Just this morning, I released a new PDF scenario for Cha'alt... my eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalypse campaign setting.

Get it here!

The Good Syma'arian commemorates the striking down of Roe vs Wade.  Hey, bad precedent is bad precedent.  Not to mention, murder is wrong.  While I'm not an absolutist, I lean stronger on the pro-life side.

In any case, this is a good solid one-shot that uses our current year political and cultural issues as a springboard for adventure.  And it's FREE, so go download it and let me know what you think!

If you like The Good Syma'arian, then you'll really love the Cha'alt trilogy.  The gorgeous, signed and numbered, limited edition hardcover books are still available.

Enjoy,

VS

p.s. If you're looking for old-school gaming opportunities in or around Madison, WI this summer, we're sneaking up on VENGER CON!!!  Details and tickets available here.

Encounter Critical update

 

I haven't written much about Encounter Critical.  This blog post will serve a meal-delaying appetizer until the eagle is ready to sink his fangs into the main course.

I should have the gorgeous hardcover books for Cha'alt: Chartreuse Shadows by the end of June (tentacles crossed).  In July, I have VENGER CON to run (Kickstarting the additional 70 tickets in a day or two).

After the convention, my plan is to tackle Encounter Critical with another Kickstarter.  My first inclination was to go all-in on a new edition with fancy hardcover books.  Now, I'm thinking maybe start slow... come up with a 15-20 page PDF, test that out for several months and, if I'm going in the right direction, expand it.  If I decide to go another way, I'll create a new, but still short, PDF and see how that shakes out.

I'm really of several minds about the evolution of Encounter Critical.  Wanting to keep its flavor but also make it way more usable.  I'd like it to be standard OSR D&D compatible but also retain something of its mechanical weirdness.  I'd love to present it as an elaborate joke, prank, and awful parody... yet still be fully functional, not just played for laughs.  A game that veterans familiar with EC will love just as much as curious noobs intrigued by something different.  

Yeah, it's a tall order.  I have my work cut-out for me.  In the meantime, my mind is ever so slowly processing in the background.  Be patient...

Thanks,

VS

p.s. More Cha'alt one-shots on Roll20, deep immersion, and Kort'thalis meta-sigil paintings on the way!

Kort'thalis Meta-Sigil

 

Before getting into more Cha'altified submissions, I'd like to blog about the Kort'thalis meta-sigil.

This magical symbol or glyph is a portal to Cha'alt... the eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalyptic campaign setting I created years ago.  Instead of physically transporting you to the world of fuchsia skies, it's a vehicle for your consciousness.

The very first painting of Kort'thalis, over a decade ago, looked like an eldritch and infernal key to another dimension.  This is the latest.

It's acrylic paint on high-grade gallery type canvas, approximately 24" tall x 18" wide, varnished for maximum protection.  There's an unexpected Erol Otus quality about it, if I do say so myself.  

For those using Cha'alt, either on its own or as a hybrid setting in conjunction with others, I suggest rendering your own and keeping a visual of the meta-sigil nearby while you're gaming (both GM and players).  Personally, I like to meditate on Kort'thalis for a minute or two before each session, and if I need an extra shot of inspiration, I'll glance at it while running the game.

All language is simply communicating through mutually agreed upon symbols.  When you see this symbol, it communicates the eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalyptic qualities of Cha'alt, transporting you to its burning sand below a fuchsia sky, so those adventures can be lived by you, me, all of us.

This secret world that lives and breathes inside our collective imagination is objective reality, just harder to perceive... that is, until one spends sufficient time and energy in Cha'alt.  The more you engage with it, the realer it becomes.  Perhaps the everyday world will pale by comparison?

Roleplaying games are an outlet, an escape, a fun pastime with family and friends.  But it can be so much more, the chance to participate in the creation and continuation of a parallel universe that exists just outside of our own.

Yesterday morning, I had the painting right beside me while running Cha'alt for someone on Roll20 who'd never played D&D before.  Did it make a difference?  Well, I felt different.  With each session, I see the world of Cha'alt and everyone inhabiting it as incrementally more alive and real.

I'll have this and other paintings of the Kort'thalis meta-sigil on display at VENGER CON!!!  Tickets still available...

If you'd like to participate in one of my Roll20 demonstrations (90-minutes, text only, and usually 18+), either let me know or follow me on Twitter @VengerSatanis.

Have a great week, hoss!

VS

p.s. Disappointed in WotC's latest regurgitation of your beloved campaign setting?  Get hooked on Cha'alt!  And while you're at it, Crimson Dragon Slayer D20.  Don't believe me?  Check out the vast amount of 5-star Cha'alt reviews.

Cha'altifying Dumb/Boring Scenarios (part 1)

 

I asked for your suggestions - give me the most boring, dumb one-sentence adventure description and I will Cha'altify that bitch.  

Well, the outpouring of worthy suggestions blew my mind.  That's why I collected them in this here blog post.  Alright, here goes nothing...

Original: Find a missing cat.

Cha'altified: A missing cat who is the guardian between worlds was exiled to the center of the hollow planet, falling into the clutches of a subterranean alien vampire race whose civilization thrived over a thousand years ago.  

Original: Safe-space sociology LARPer gets job at multinational megacorp copyright collector.  This is its journey. 

Cha'altified: Beta-male slave is imprisoned within a simulation energy-cell like a cheap, organic battery.  The caves where these energy-cell fields are stored are haunted by sentient raspberry jellies and peanut-butter oozes at war with each other.  These mutant aberrations of nature spawned by a putrefying zoth pool that also happens to be the only place where magical items can be recharged.

Original: A party of adventurers must protect the local lord's chocolate harvest.

Cha'altified: A sinister sorcerer and sulfuric chocolatier has been making delectable pacts with demons for years.  Infernal beings love his sulfuric chocolate, but the constantly rising prices the sorcerer charges have convinced the demons that it would be better to attack the sorcerer in his lair and torture him for those secrets, rather than keep paying exorbitant prices.  

Original: You book a room at an inn and have to get to your room.

Cha'altified: The inn is not only part brothel, it also serves as a dance academy for witches, making it the perfect finishing school for women who will eventually mate with eldritch demon spawn of the Great Old Ones. Around every turn are nubile ballerinas, witches, devils, and Knights of the Purifying Scourge prowling in the shadows.  

Original: You have been chosen by the ancient prophecy to fulfill destiny.

Cha'altified: The looming stars drip off the cosmos' face, signaling the time for heroes who are all that stand between the remnants of civilization and slimy entities in the darkness waiting to return, dethroning mortals into the outer void.  The prophecy was writ in crayon on the back of a kid's Red Lobster menu, and is presumed lost in a retired military facility from before The Apocalypse.  The exact wording of that prophecy is key to surviving the coming horrors. 

__________

Ok, that's enough for now.  I'll do a part 2 either tomorrow or the next day (and maybe even a part 3).  Remember to keep it eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, and post-apocalypse!

VS

p.s. Cha'alt: Chartreuse Shadows is 25% off on DTRPG.  Also, still several tickets available for VENGER CON in Madison, WI this July.  An old-school gaming convention like it's 1981. You won't want to miss it!

Negative Karma Pools

 

I try to go through life with my senses open.  

Do za'akier have antennae?  Probably. 

When I read or hear a certain word or phrase, it sometimes triggers my pineal gland, giving fruit to inspiration.

Today's post was inspired by a video by The OG GM's Adventures, specifically this one over here.

He mentioned negative karma pools, and that jarred something in me... and now I'm blogging about it. 

It took me a few minutes to decide what "negative karma pools" might mean.  And this is what I came up with... 

Extra GM dice for when the players take direct action deemed culturally, ethically, or morally egregious, according to the campaign setting.  

This could be anything from naming your character Bob, throwing personal artifacts contained in a mausoleum on the ground so you can bone an attractive woman (Just watched Broken Lizard's Club Dread), shitting in a S'kbah oasis, or stabbing a faithful guide in the back just to save a few gold pieces.

The first time it happens, the GM earns a bonus d4 to use as he will against the PCs.  The second occurrence earns him a d6.  The third, a d8.  Then a d10, d12, and finally d20 [edit: these dice are cumulative, that's why it's called a pool]. GMs don't need to spend these bonus dice; they may reserve them for a later date.  Whatever result is rolled may be added to any dice the GM rolls, such as to-hit, damage, NPC or monster saving throw, etc. 

Let me know what you think of this idea, if you have suggestions, questions, or comments... I want to know.  Give me feedback, hoss!

VS

p.s. For a limited time, Cha'alt: Chartreuse Shadows is 25% off.  Also, I've sold 20 out of 100 tickets to this July's VENGER CON in Madison, WI.  Get yours before they sell out!

Cha'altification

 

I had an idea... demonstrate how to Cha'altify your basic D&D adventure premise.  

If you want to watch the video, there you go.

Here's what you do, take something simple like the PCs are hired to rescue a princess from the clutches of an evil sorcerer.

Then, you take aspects of that basic scenario and make it more eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, and post-apocalyptic [these are the macro elements of Cha'alt].  Boom, now it's Cha'altified!

• Eldritch - the princess is cursed with second-sight because she was born when Alga'al, the "demon star" was in ascendance.  Since puberty (she's around 20 now), the princess has experienced visions of things she couldn't possibly know.
• Gonzo - the sorcerer is half banana and the majority of his minions are banana-men.
• Science-Fantasy - the sorcerer has made his lair in the remains of a recently crashed starship.
• Post-Apocalypse - the sorcerer is using the captured princess to locate an A.I. bured somewhere in the desert wasteland of S'kbah.

If you want to go even further, totally optional, here are some more "tags" to further Cha'alt-up this adventure [micro elements]...

• Comedic / Grim-Dark - the princess' father is dead.  It's actually her uncle who wants her "rescued".  He's hired the PCs to take the princess away from the sorcerer and leave her in the desert to be devoured by sandworms.
• Pop-Culture - It is rumored that two droids survived the starship crash.  After the ship went down, these droids (Goldie and U2) walked to a nearby settlement in search of employment.
• Sleazy - The princess only receives her visions during orgasm.

There you go.  Put whatever vanilla fantasy plot through the Cha'alt Filter, and you'll generate inspiration for terrific, out-of-the-box flourishes that take your pedestrian scenario to the next level and beyond!

VS

p.s. Do I still have gorgeous hardcovers (limited edition, signed and numbered) of both Cha'alt and Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise?  As of right now... yes.  Details here!